News and Race Reports for October 4

Aussie News

Kathy Watt who had a disappointing track series in Bogota aims to make up for
it in the 26 km ITT from Tuta to Tunja on Thursday, and in the 88.5 km RR on
Saturday. The RR is over 5 laps of a very hilly 14km circuit at altitudes of
2600-3000 metres.

She weighs only 48kg which is 5 kg less than when she won the olympic gold in
Barcelona.

Miguel Indurain again showed how modest he is. The 30 year old arrived inn
Colombia late last Friday after a 4 week training camp in Colorado. He is
expected to win both the ITT and the RR and then proceed to attempt the world
hour record a week later.

Australian TT Paul Brosnan came close to Indurain while flying from Miami to
Bogota last Friday. He found Indurain sitting next to him for the few hours of
the flight, in second class seats. The champion Spaniard also declined an
invitation from the Spanish Embassy in Bogota to travel to the hotel in a
luxury limmo, preferring instead to take the Spanish team bus with his mates.

The goal of the Aussie road team is to secure Australia's position at the
Olympic TT next year. The Track Team is Australia's jewel.

Rumors

   "Reliable sources" state that the KMart Classic has been cancelled for
1996. I'm certain KMart Corporation's recent financial woes are
significantly to blame. Too bad another sponsor could not be found.  --M.T.

   Other sources report the cessation of business by Clark-Kent
framebuilders. As you know, I hoped to offer C-K titanium framesets through
the news service. Obviously, those plans are now on hold. It appears
Clark-Kent is a victim of Greg Lemond's decision to negotiate a new
contract with Trek to produce a Lemond line of frames and bicycles. Note: A
titanium frame will not be offered by Trek.  --M.T.

More on Indurain

Colombia has Indurain fever as many stars forgo the worlds.

On Wednesday, Colombia will celebrate the world championship of one of the
greats of cycling. Before the first road contest, the individual time trial
over 45.5 km in Tunja, all major newspapers are full of stories about the
31 year old Basque[?] Miguel Indurain. The arrival of the five-time Tour de
France winner at the Bogota airport wasn't worth just some
pictures and a story; several Latin-American TV stations were there at the
arrival as well.

He straight away gave up on a planned trip to the velodrome in Bogota when
he realized what a stit he would cause. After the worlds Indurain will make
an attempt on the hour record, currently held by the Swiss Tony Rominger,
on the fast oval in Bogota. Indurain has specially prepared for the trip to
the extreme altitudes of Colombia, and because of that passed up the
Spanish tour. Whereas Rominger withdrew on the advice of his sponsors.

The ambitious Colombian organization seems very thankful for the arrival of
the Spaniard, since the championship races suffered the cancellations of
many stars. Too far, too high, too hard are the reasons for the avoidance
of the races on mountainous roads between altitudes of 2600m and 2900m.
Only Italy, Spain, and Colombia are offering complete teams for the pro
road race. Also there were complaints about the pollution in Tunja, the
location of the time trial.

The Germans can hardly have hopes for a medal in the race against the clock
like last year by the then amateur, now Telekom pro Jan Ullrich
(Merdingen). The amateur Uwe Peschel (Oschelbronn), runner up last year,
will have a tough time of it despite the absence of many good riders.

One of the pro field has already thrown down the gauntlet to Indurain:
pursuit champion Graeme Obree (UK). The Scot believes firmly that with a
road version of his special bike he could dethrone the basque monument.
Last year, indeed without gear levers, he angrily dismounted after only a
few kilometers. Also a former world hour record holder, he rightly comes to
the road not without special preparations. This time Obree wants to ride in
his "Superman" position, place high and with that win new sponsorships.
Since his disqualification last year at the track worlds he has been left
without a major sponsor.

Motorola Goes Down Under

   Max Van Heeswijk, George Hincapie, Bobbie Julich and Kevin Livingston,
and Stephen Swart lead a Motorola team in the Pacific Power Commonwealth
Bank Cycle Classic later this month in Australia. The American based team
is the first professional trade team to contest the classic, which has been
an an amateur race for the past 13 years. The team will arrive in Australia
on October 18 and will miss the opening criterium race at Lithgow in the
Sanitarium Weet-Bix Grand Prix but will be expected to take its place in
the Hurstville Sanitarium Grand Prix, the final race of the series on 19
October 95.